Counter-narrative: Despite what you hear about looting, these stores are coming out in support of protests against police brutality
By Cindy R.
Looting has followed in the wake of protests across the country, just as many retailers and restaurants were reopening from the pandemic. While people were out protesting for justice, others took advantage of the situation to do crimes like looting, burning down things, stealing, and much more. Some stores actually decided to respond to these actions and you wouldn’t believe what they had to say!
1. Target
After some of its stores were looted and damaged during protests that turned violent across the state, Target said it would temporarily close some of its California stores.”We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing communities across the country. At this time, we have made the decision to close a number of our stores. We anticipate most stores will be closed temporarily.” Although they remain closed, that didn’t stop them from trying to help the community. Target said, ”As I write this, our merchant and distribution teams are preparing truckloads of first aid equipment and medicine, bottled water, baby formula, diapers and other essentials, to help ensure that no one within the areas of heaviest damage and demonstration is cut off from needed supplies.” Target is aboard with these protests and supports them to the highest extent to even help them with resources! Read their full statement here.
2. Vans
The “Vans” store was completely destroyed and robbed during one of the protests with many people running through the broken glass with multiple boxes of shoes. The police were so busy with the huge amounts of protests that they ended up arriving very late. The looters were already gone from the area and the whole store was a complete mess. Vans later on responded to the incident by sending a message on twitter saying,”There is no place for hatred or bigotry in our Family. We stand in solidarity with the black community…” It talks about how much they support the Black community and are willing to help with the cause with what they can give. Therefore, Vans states that “Vans is donating $100,000 to the NAACP, $50,000 to Color Of Change, and $50,000 to the GSA Network” to help the community and to show their contribution to the BlackLivesMatter protest. Click here to read their full statement.
3. Nike
Nike decided to respond with a different approach and post a 1 minute video on Youtube stating that we shouldn’t ignore what is going on around us and do something to be a part of the change in racism. Their title of their video is, “For once, Don’t Do it” which refers to their commonly known slogan “Just do it.” In order to make a difference in life, you need to make sure that it is brought to the world’s attention of how important your cause is which in this case, racism. Nike is trying to inspire others to make a stand in this movement to achieve justice for George Floyd and to put an end to police brutality against the black community. This was posted on May 29, 2020 on their channel with the hashtag #UntilWeAllWin. View the video on Youtube here.
4. Patagonia
“We join with those who call out the name of George Floyd in sorrow and anger against the systemic racism that pervades our land. We stand in solidarity with African Americans and people of color, including those among our colleagues and their families. And we call on business to work with government and civil society to address racism. We know that we have work to do.” This quote came from Patagonia’s statement posted on twitter stating that they are aware of the causes and protests going on and is for the cause. This store is also sending a donation to NAACP for $100,000. Read their full statement on Instagram here.
5. JapanLA
Big businesses and corporations have the money to fix their stores, so you might be thinking that small local stores will be angrier about the looting because they don’t have as much money to fix things. JapanLA, a Los Angeles store which sells anime merchandise, was also looted during the protests by breaking the windows and tearing down the bars protecting it. The owner said it was difficult to watch the damage done to their stores, but they also confirmed that they are a supporter for the BlackLivesMatter cause. They said, “We apologize for not saying this sooner, but we absolutely stand by it: Black Lives Matter. We see our friends, neighbors, and customers who are in pain and the many lives that have been taken. The Black Lives Movement has our sympathy and backing in their demands for justice. We, as a local small business, operated by Women of Color support the protestors and the justice they are seeking and empathize with their cause.” Click here for their full statement on Instagram.
